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FINAL GPSJ Summer edition 2024 ONLINE VERSION.2pdf

November 2024
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Archives

RENOVO TO LAUNCH BESPOKE DISTANCE SUPPORT PRODUCT

Renovo Employment Group is to launch a revolutionary new 24-hour telephone and online career development product, designed specifically to support the new Work Programme, at this years’ UK Welfare to Work Convention. Renovo’s Career Advancement Programme (CAP) is a powerful new service that allows prime and subcontractor providers to deliver a much more cost effective, distance based in work support package to thousands of people returning to work.

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Innovation on a shoestring

We are emerging from the worst recession in 60 years and plans to repair battered public finances are well underway. The news agenda continues to be dominated by gloomy predictions that further public sector jobs will be lost and service users will suffer. However, Brian Redpath, Director of Public Sector at Nuance Communications asks whether this is the right focus, right now.

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Siemens IT Solutions appointment

Siemens IT Solutions and Services has appointed a Head of Government Affairs to champion and develop relationships with central and local Government partners and trade associations. Steven Barker will take this ambassadorial role and lead engagements with public sector working groups concerned with standards in procurement, emergent and changing ICT strategies, plus the identification of innovative products, services and solutions.

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REAL CHALLENGES FROM POLICE BUDGET CUT

Commenting following an announcement that Wiltshire Police Authority (WPA) will receive a 6 percent cut in grant funding in 2011-2012, Christopher Hoare, Chair of WPA said: -Cuts to the police budget for 2011-2012 bring very real challenges to ensuring the continuation of an effective policing service that local people rightly expect.

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Budget 2010: Major public sector cutbacks are underway, however savings can still be delivered without hitting frontline services

The emergency budget has given us the first real indication of how and where the coalition’s major spending cuts are going to occur. Chancellor George Osborne has spelt out the agenda in recent weeks, explaining that, “decisive action to deal with Britain’s record budget deficit” , estimated to be running at £149 billion annually with a structural deficit of £113.5 billion- is the top priority or else the country is on the “road to ruin”.

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Chief Constable Grahame Maxwell comments on the budget

Chief Constable Grahame Maxwell, who is also the Association of Chief Police Officers’ Finance and Resource portfolio lead, said:

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Budget Comment: Professor Peter Latchford

-In the short term I recognise that steps must be taken to address the consequences of the recession. These understandably have been framed around a trade off between cuts in public spending and tax increases.

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Government's attitude to public sector pay and pensions is worrying

The Government’s attitude to public sector pay and pensions is a worrying issue. David Cameron seems to be pushing councils awkwardly down a path they are already addressing. A reduction of payment in pensions will have a crippling effect on the economy and further increases in employee contributions will not serve as an effective solution.

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Deficit reduction measures will raise UK unemployment close to 3 million by 2012

Dr John Philpott, Chief Economic Adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) predicts that the coalition government’s deficit reduction measures will stall any recovery in the UK jobs market later this year, result in a post-recession peak in unemployment close to 3 million, and slow any subsequent return to low unemployment.

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The Department of the Future

‘Doing more for less’ has long been debated in the public sector, but now, the need to cut public spending, has become urgent. The Public Sector is not just facing a painful adjustment to immediate financial issues; it is also challenged by factors that will be impacting us for decades to come – such as our ageing population, our inadequate physical infrastructure, and the need to reskill the nation’s workforce.

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Can Political Leaders Deliver On Public Sector Cuts?

Hot on the heels of Audit Scotland’s timely publication on the need to improve public sector efficiency comes the call for written evidence from the Scottish Parliament Finance Committee on what preparations are required by the public sector to deliver efficient public services during a time of tightening public expenditure. The evidence period extends to the end of March but the key themes are not hard to discern.

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WGA 'The Wholly' Grail of Public Sector Accounting?

For many not directly involved in public sector financial reporting the move to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for all public sector entities must feel like finance colleagues creating another self-generating, cottage industry. Shadow accounts, restated balance sheets and further audit reviews leading to the holy grail of WGA (Whole of Government Accounts) seem curious distractions at a time when the public sector is facing huge funding challenges.

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Public Sector Leadership Teams: Keeping An Eye On The Financial Football

Whilst England’s campaign for world cup qualification in South Africa has been impressive, doubts still remain over some of the key positions. Left side midfield remains a long term problem and the goalkeeper’s spot also now has question marks over it. These remain specialist positions where the limited number of convincing contenders reflects a dearth of talent coming through.

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Efficiency through Flexibility

The news that council chiefs are set to quit amid budget and pension plan changes (Financial Times, Council Chiefs Set to Quit as Cuts Bite, 11 November issue) brings into the spotlight once more the issue of attracting the best and most qualified staff to senior roles when remuneration alone will not cut it.

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The Future for Public Sector Funding -Surviving the Storm

The UK public sector is facing its most serious funding challenge for many years. Given the state of the public finances, major spending cuts are inevitable or costs will spiral out of control. While this is starting to be recognised at all levels, there is no clear roadmap of how to get there.

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Wakefield Council Trade Deal

Wakefield Council has signed a pioneering agreement to boost mutual trade opportunities and open new doors for a wide range of local businesses. On Monday 2nd November Wakefield Council Leader Peter Box formalised the district’s economic relationship with Romania by signing a memorandum of agreement with Antonie Solomon, the Mayor of Craiova.

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Governments plans for public sector reform

At the heart of the Government’s plans for public sector reform is the need to reduce costs, and improve the accountability and quality of the services it delivers. In April, Chancellor Alastair Darling announced plans to make £9 billion in efficiency cuts each year by 2013, in addition to the £5 billion announced in the pre-Budget report in November 2008.

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Is the Government tendering processes a hindrance to the public sector cuts?

Stuart Littleford speaks with Jeremy Galpin, Sales Director of De Poel Consulting. Prior to joining de Poel, Jeremy spent nine years working for one of the UK’s largest recruitment groups. Having worked initially in operations, Jeremy then progressed to a corporate business development role where he was responsible for delivering group recruitment solutions to some of the UK’s largest logistics and manufacturing companies.

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De Poel Consulting

Matthew Sanders, CEO for de Poel Consulting, the number one procurer of temporary agency labour in the UK, believes so. The Government tendering processes excluding small businesses (SMEs) from public sector contracts is not a new phenomenon. For years, this volatile albeit significant group has been prohibited from sharing in the estimated £175Bn of tax payers’ money spent on both goods and services every year.

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Top economist Roger Bootle warns UK house price to fall another 35% in 2010

Top economist Roger Bootle warns UK house price to fall another 35% in 2010. In an interview with Nigel Pivaro for the Government & Public Sector Journal Roger Bootle warns that house prices are set to fall dramatically next year and we are still a long way from seeing the end of the recession. Nigel asks him some interesting questions after reading Rogers new book ‘The Trouble With Markets’.

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